This invention relates to improved shoes of moccasin construction, and, more particularly, is directed to use within the shoe of a so-called box stiffener for providing the toe region with improved resistance to crush and deformation for preventing collapse of the shoe upper in the toe region.
The moccasin type of shoe is characteristically a soft type of shoe wherein a soft leather outsole extends around the sides of the foot and around the toe where it is joined by a U-shaped seam to a soft leather piece extending across the top of the foot. It has a tendency to collapse or to become crushed in the toe region after a relatively short period of wear, causing the toe to bulge out and become exposed to abrasion, resulting in the shortening of the life of the shoe, and seriously degrading its appearance. The moccasin is an increasingly popular type of shoe and, in view of the cost and desire on the part of users to prolong the life of the shoe and maintain its appearance, there is a commercial importance in providing a moccasin type of shoe construction which has enhanced crush and deformation resistance in the toe region but without sacrificing the soft, casual moccasin appearance, or visually revealing any reinforcement structure.
Heretofore, there have been many expedients proposed for the stiffening of the toes or heels of shoes and going back many, many years. Thus, in the early Ely U.S. Pat. No. 87,916, use of leather heel stiffeners was proposed, as was also suggested in the Willoughby U.S. Pat. No. 47,030 of a half decade later. Van Wagenen U.S. Pat. No. 185,803 proposed leather tips for boots and shoes for protecting the shoe upper from wear, while in more recent history, Herlihy U.S. Pat. No. 2,646,584 proposed a shoe construction which included a molded toe box including a vamp assembled with the use of a stiffener blank to provide what the patentee termed a California type shoe having a relatively stiff and shaped end portion; but such shoe was decidedly not of moccasin type. Meltzer U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,870 proposed a moccasin construction but utilizing a pre-welded stiffening element adhesively secured between a soft cover and the moccasin body, providing a complex construction not well suited to the modern manufacture of moccasin type shoes, wherein a cover may not be utilized, the moccasin body providing itself the shoe upper. Weinstein U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,969 proposed a thermoplastic shoe stiffener and a method of making same by the forming of thermoplastic PVC, as for use in heel counters and toe boxes. And indeed, toe stiffeners have been long used in shoe construction, as in safety shoes or dress shoes wherein a stiff or rigid toe is desirable, as contrasted with a moccasin as to which it is important to maintain the soft, natural appearance and comfort so characteristic of this type of shoe. In moccasin construction, the use of stiffeners according to the prior art would result in an undesirable outlining, shadowing or lumping on the visible area of the finished shoe, or else render the toe unacceptably stiff or rigid.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved shoe construction, and particularly the construction for the shoe of the moccasin type having a novel box toe stiffener for bringing about a marked reduction in the tendency of the toe of the shoe to become crushed or otherwise to undergo deformation and thus collapse during usage so as to bulge out, become scuffed and generally abraded.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a shoe of moccasin construction which allows assembly by the use of normal manufacturing procedures as heretofore previously utilized for the construction of moccasin type footwear, and whereby the shoe may be constructed with handsewn last or by the utilization of a slip lasted moccasin upper.
It is an object also of the present invention to provide such a shoe of the moccasin type which will retain its shape and revert to its originally formed shape even after extreme crushing, deformation or other abuse, such as heavy pressure or intentional or accidental collapse of the toe.
Further, it is also an object of the invention to provide such a shoe of the moccasin type utilizing a toe stiffener but wherein the toe stiffener does not cause outlining, shadowing or lumping on the visible area of the finished shoe.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively economical, easily implemented, commercially advantageous improved method for the construction of moccasin type shoes which are crush- and deformation-resistant.
Briefly, the invention is directed not only to a moccasin type shoe, but also to a method for making same. The shoe includes a shoe upper and a sole part, and may include a full or partial insole, the shoe being provided with a premolded box toe stiffener for stiffening the toe region of the upper to provide crush and deformation resistance. The stiffener, which is molded of thermoplastic material, is of flexible but resiliently stable character for remaining in or reverting to its original configuration. Within the shoe, the stiffener provides an upstanding flange of curved configuration for lying against and providing securement to the corresponding interior surface of the upper within its toe region. The stiffener includes also a central, principal tab extending rearwardly from the bottom edge of the flange for securement to the insole, as well as shorter tabs also extending rearwardly from the bottom edge of the flange and directed toward the principal tab; the side tabs, coplanar with the principal tabs, are each of length which is only part of the rearward extent of the principal tab and are separated from the principal tab by narrow rearwardly opening recesses. The flange has its front, outer (foot-opposed) surface coated with a heat-activated adhesive for adhesive securement to the interior surface of the upper.
According to the preferred method of making such a shoe, there are included the steps of forming the box toe stiffener from a blank of the thermoplastic material, the blank being heated and placed in a mold for providing the above-described configuration, being thereafter cooled to retain the configuration. Thermally activated adhesive is applied only to the outer surfaces of the flange and tab of the stiffener but not to its inner, foot-side surfaces. The stiffener may first be attached to the insole and only thereafter secured to the upper by inserting a last into the shoe. If only a partial insole is utilized, the sole part of the upper may be transversely slit, and the principal tab of the box toe stiffener may then be threaded through the slit. Regardless of how inserted into the upper, the method further then involves pressing the stiffener into and against the toe region and maintaining the shoe in a heated condition, activating the adhesive to provide a strong adhesive bond between the stiffener and the shoe upper. The shoe is thereafter completed by usual manufacturing procedures.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed our later.